Spicy Chicken Fry

Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens. Chickens will naturally live for 6 or more years, but broiler chickens typically take less than 6 weeks to reach slaughter size. A free range or organic meat chicken will usually be slaughtered at about 14 weeks of age.

Chicken as a meat has been depicted in Babylonian carvings from around 600 BC. Chicken was one of the most common meats available in the Middle Ages. It was eaten over most of the Eastern hemisphere and a number of different kinds of chicken such as capons, pullets and hens were eaten. It was one of the basic ingredients in the so-called white dish, a stew usually consisting of chicken and fried onions cooked in milk and seasoned with spices and sugar.

The meat of the chicken, also called "chicken", is a type of poultry meat. Because of its relatively low cost, chicken is one of the most used meats in the world. Nearly all parts of the bird can be used for food, and the meat can be cooked in many different ways. Popular chicken dishes include roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, Buffalo wings, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and chicken rice. Chicken is also a staple of many fast food restaurants.

Main edible parts:

Chicken meat contains about two to three times as much polyunsaturated fat than most types of red meat when measured as weight percentage.Chicken generally includes low fat in the meat itself (castrated roosters excluded). The fat is highly concentrated on the skin.

Now I am going to cook a very quick and easy receipe Spicy Chicken Fry.It goes on well with curd rice, sambhar rice or even rasam. Very relaxing meal during fever and cold conditions.

                              Spicy Chicken Fry recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time:10 mins    |  Cook time: 20 mins     |  Serves:2

Ingredients

Onions - 1 medium sized

Tomato -1 big size

Ginger Garlic paste or grated - 1 tbsp

Chicken - 1kg

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tsp (optional)

Salt - needed

Coriander leaves - few

Oil - 2 tbsp

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                                                To Temper:

Kal paasi - 1no

Star anise - 1/2 no

Cinnamon - 1 small piece

Cloves - 3 nos

Curry leaves - 1 strand

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                                                             To Dry Roast:

Red chily - 4 nos

Dhaniya seeds - 2 tsp

Pepper - 1tsp

Jeeragam - 1 tsp

Cashew - 5 nos

Desicated cocnut - 2 tsp

Onion- 1 big sized

Fennel - 1 tsp

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 Method:

• First clean and wash the chicken. Mix turmeric powder and give it one final wash and set aside.
  
• Now take an empty pan and dry roast te ingredients mentioned. Until they turn brown.First roast chilly,dhaniy,jeera,fennel,pepper and after nice aroma comes up add onions, and when all are done finally add cashews and coconut.
  
•  Now grind it into a very fine paste by adding water.
  
• Now take a pan, add oil, add the tempering ingrdients and finely chopped onions and saute well. When onions turn transluscent add the ground paste and saute well. Also add ginger garlic paste if ur using it. Its optional for this gravy.
  
• Now when the raw smell goes off add grinded tomato pulp and saute well. Add salt, turmeric powder. When oil separates on the top surface add the chicken and mix well.The water will start leaving from the chicken.
  

• Now after water comes out, flesh turns colour,add 1 cup water an close the lid. It will get cooked slowly.
  
• When the chciken is cooked well and a thick gravy is formed switch of the flame.Garnish with coriander leaves. As u have added cashews and cocnut the gravy will be thick, so if required u can add more water.
  
• Serve hot with Rice.!! You can either take it as a gravy or keep frying further untill thick roast forms out. This goes well with Ghee Rice.
  

Cauliflower Omlette

Chicken eggs are the most commonly eaten eggs. They supply all essential amino acids for humans and provide several vitamins and minerals as significant amounts of the Daily Value, including retinol(vitamin A), riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B12, choline and phosphorus.

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head (the white curd) is eaten. The cauliflower head is composed of a white inflorescence meristem. Cauliflower heads resemble those in broccoli, which differs in having flower buds. Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbohydrates and high in dietary fiber, folate, water, phytochemicals and vitamin C, possessing a high nutritional density.

Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes. However, other preparation methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect on the compounds.

Now I am going to show u the preparation of cauliflower omlette, the same can be prepared with mushroom also. Being a Non-vegetarian egg forms my main ingredient in kitchen.

                            Cauliflower Omlette recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time:10 mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins     |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Cauliflower - half

Green chilly-1 no

Egg - 3 nos

Salt - as needed

Turmeric powder -1/4 tbsp

Pepper powder - 1tsp (optional for chilly powder)

Onion - 1 no

Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander leaves - few

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Method:

• First chop the onion finely. Clean the cauliflower and take out each strand and wash them well. Now u will have strands of the inflorescence.
  
  
• Now Take a vessel and boil water, when it boils well add tumrmeric powder and mix well. Now add the cauliflower and allow it to boil for 2 mins. Now switch of the stove but let the cauliflower remain in the water. This is done to clean the impurities and any worm in the flower.
  
• Now mince the cauliflower well using a vegetable cutter or food processor finely.

• Take a bowl and add chopped onions,chopped green chillies, minced caulflower, masalas, salt, coriander leaves and mix well. You can add either chilly powder or pepper powder.
  
• Now add the eggs to the bowl and beat well until frothy. Heat a pan, add oil, and pour the batter in intervals and swirl the pan to fill the batter around as a thin layer.
  
  
  

• Turn it carefully to the other side and cook until its cooked on all sides. Serve it!!!
  

Carrot Halwa

Halwa  refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.

The term halva  meaning "desserts" or "sweet", is used to describe two types of desserts:

Flour-based

This type of halva is slightly gelatinous and made from grain flour, typically semolina. The primary ingredients are clarified butter, flour, and sugar.

Nut-butter-based

This type of halva is crumbly and usually made from tahini (sesame paste) or other nut butters, such as sunflower seed butter. The primary ingredients are nut butter and sugar.

Halva may also be based on various other ingredients, including sunflower seeds, nut varieties, beans, lentils, and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, yams and squashes.

I am going to prepare Carrot Halwa now.

                                 Carrot Halwa recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Sweet
Prep Time: 15mins    |  Cook time: 1 hr 30 mins     |  Serves:3

Ingredients

Carrot - 1kg ( 3 cups)

Ghee - 1/2 cup

Milk - 2 cups ( full cream optional)

Sugar - 1.5 to 2 cups

Edible camphor - 1 tiny bit

Chopped Badam and Cashew- 1tbsp

Elaichi powder - 1/4 tsp

* note- u can use khoya also, adjust the sugar levels accordingly.
u can use ordinary oil mixed with 1 tbsp ghee if u are health conscious.
The ratio is 1 cup carrot : 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup sugar.

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 Method:

• First grate the carrot finely and strain all the water using a strainer. Gently give a press to the carrot grated on the strainer and all the water will come off. Now add it to a heavy bottomed pan with all the milk and allow it boil.
  
• Keep in a low flame and stir it in intervals to prevent burning, Use a wide pan. Milk will keep frothing up and allow it to get cooked until all the milk gets absorbed. 

• Keep cooking in a low flame, now only 1 tbsp milk will remain in the pan, at this stage add 1 tsp ghee and mix well. also add the sugar and mix well. This stage will take nearly 35 mins. If u wish u can add khoya (sugar or sugarless) at this stage to make it more creamy.

• Now the sugar will start to melt and leave water which will again make the carrot watery and keep stirring until all water gets absorbed. Dont add raisins to this halwa, coz it will not stay good for more than 3 days when u add it.

• Keep stiring it continuously from this stage because it will start getting burnt. Now all the liquid will form a sticky paste like consistency. Now take a pan add 1 tbs ghee roast the nuts, add elaichi powder to the ghee and also 1 tiny piece of crushed edible camphor and stir well. From this stage keep adding ghee around the halwa in intervals. You can also add oil mixed to ghee if u are health conscious. Add the roasted ingredients to the halwa and mix well.
• 
• Now slowly add ghee to the sides and stir well. It will form into a halwa paste, All the liquid will totally get absorbed. And it will get into a rolling dough.
  
• You can see the milk solids like small tiny pieces around. And its like a halwa consistency. Transfer it into a greased cup. This stage will appear nearly after 1 hour 15 mins.

• Refridegerate it and serve with garnished nuts!!! It will stay good for 10 days in fridge.
  

Masala Vadai

Vada is a common term for many different types of savoury fritter-type snacks from South India with a set of common ingredients.Due to their popularity, they have spread throughout the world and are known by various names - for example in South Africa where a large south Indian population is found it is called Vade.Vada can vary in shape and size, but are usually either doughnut- or disc-shaped and are between 5 and 8 cm across. 

Masala vada is also known as paruppu vadai  and dal vada .The main ingredient of this type of vada is channa dal and it is made with whole lentils.

                                 Masala Vadai recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Snack
Prep Time:15mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins     |  Serves:3

Ingredients

Channa dhall - 1 cup

Onion - 1 medium sized

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp (or) Grated ginger garlic

Green chilly - 2 nos

Salt - needed

Fennel - 1.5tsp (seeds or powder)

Rice flour - 1 tsp (optional)

Mint leaves - few

Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves -  few

Oil - for frying

 * note - U can use 3/4th cup Channa dhall and 1/4 cup Toor dhall or Moong dhall. It depends on ur taste.
U need to grind it coarsely, I have smooth paste because its the way they like in my house-hold.

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 Method:

• First Soak the dhall for maximum 1 hour. If using Toordhall or Moong dhall soak it separately for same 1 hour. Then strain away all the water using a strainer. I am using 3/4th cup channa dhall and 1/4 cup moong dhall.
  
• Keep 1 tbsp dhall aside and grind the rest coarsely. The dhall should be seen broken and not like a paste.Grind without adding water. When its finished add fennel and give 2 pulse. Now add chopped onions, green chilly,Rice flour, choped mint leaves, coriander, curry leaves, Ginger garlic paste, salt and mix well. Also add the 1 tbsp dhall set aside and mix well. 
  
• Mix well with ur hands and form into a dough, dont add water at any stage. Now take a lemon sized ball of the dough and roll it in ur hands, gently press on top to flatten it lightly.

• Shape all the balls and set it in a plate, or u can shape it when u place them into the oil. Heat a kadai with oil and when oil turns hot medium the flame and drop the vadais carefully and slowly.
  
• Turn the vadais on both sides until they are cooked and get a brownish colour. Serve with any chutney!!!

Pillayarpatti Kozhukattai

Kozhukatta or Kozhukkattai is a popular South Indian sweet dumpling made from rice flour, with a filling of grated coconut and jaggery, and is similar to Modak made in other parts of India. 

Pillaiyar patti Pillaiyar temple is an ancient rock-cut cave shrine dedicated to Ganesha, located at Thiruppatthur, Sivaganga district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.The Agama texts found on stones in the temple help date the temple between the years 1091 and 1238. A unique Tamil image of Pillaiyar found in the temple helps to verify this dating. The presiding deity of the temple is Karpaka Vinayakar or Desi Vinayaka Pillaiyar.

The Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayaka Chaturthi festival, is celebrated for 10 days in a grand manner every year during the months of August and September. During that time, great numbers of pilgrims gather and participate in the Car Festival. Like all Shaivite temples, Pillayarpatti temple also has Lord Shiva as its presiding deity. The lord's name is Arjunapureeswarar. This temple is most famous for the rock cut Vinayagar (Ganesha) sitting majestically inside a cave. Pillayarpatti modhagam is ditributed to devotees as prasadham.

Now lets prepare Pilayarpatti kozhukattai at home.

                          

                            Pillayarpatti Kozhukattai recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Sweet
Prep Time:10 mins    |  Cook time: 10 mins     |  Serves:2

Ingredients

Raw Rice  - 1 cup

Moong dhall - 1/4 cup

Salt - needed

Jageery - 1 cup

Water - 2 1/2 cups

Desicated coconut - 1/4 cup

Cardamon Powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 3 tbsp

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 Method:

• First soak the raw rice in water for 1 hour and dry it on a cotton cloth and when its 3/4th dried up, grind it into a coarse powder in a mixer and set aside.
  
• Next roast the dhall in an empty pan until nice aroma rises up and grind it into a coarse powder.
  
• Take a heavy bottomed vessel, add water and when it boils well add the rice-dhall powder and mix well: Allow it to get cooked well in a low flame.
  
• Meantime prepare jaggey syrup, by adding jaggery to 1/2 cup water. When all the jaggery gets dissolved, Strain it for impurities and again heat it. Add cardamon powder and coconut and boil it for 2 minutes.
  
• Now the rice is cooked well and all water absorbed.
  
• Add this jaggery mixture to it and mix well. Add ghee to the sides to allow it to form into a smooth dough.
  
• Keep mixing until a non-sticky dough is formed. Now switch off the flame and when the heat is bearable to ur hands make balls out of it. The forms can be modhagam shaped or in balls or pidi shaped.
• Place the balls in greased idly plates and steam cook it for 10- 12 minutes.
  
• Serve it when hot!!
  

Mysore Pak

Mysore pak is a rich sweet dish prepared in butter, from Southern India, usually served as dessert. It originated in Mysore. It is made of generous amounts of ghee, sugar, gram flour, and often cardamom.

Mysore pak was first prepared in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace by a palace cook named Kakaasura Madappa out of the above ingredients.The cook at the mysore Palace kitchen simply made a concoction of gram flour, ghee and sugar. When asked its name, Madappa obviously didn't have its name in mind, so he simply called it the ‘Mysore pak’. Pak (or paka, more precisely), in Sanskrit and other Indian vernaculars, means sweet. It is traditionally served in weddings and other festivals of southern India. It is very popular in baby showers too.

This is my 100th post, so " Sweet edu Kondadu"...

                                      Mysore Pak recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Sweet
Prep Time:10 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins     |  Serves:4

Ingredients

Besan/ Chickpea flour/ Kadala mavu - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Oil - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 3/4 to 1 cup 

Sugar for sprinkling - 1 tblsp 

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 Method:

• First Sift the flour to get rid of the lumps.Now take an empty pan and saute the flour lightly until nice aroma rises. Keep a tray, greased ready. Place sugar in a heavy bottomed pan, with water enough to immerse it. Maximum 1 cup of water is fine. 
  
• Mix and keep oil and ghee ready.
  
• Boil until 1 string consistency. That is, if you check between your fingers, a string will form as shown in the picture. Keep the flame in medium when the syrup is nearing its stage. Swipe the back of the ladle you use in the syrup for checking.You can also confirm by adding a drop of syrup into a cup of water, the syrup will fall as a solid crystal and will not get dissolved.
  
• Add the flour slowly stirring continuously. I used whisker for easy mixing. Mix until smooth. The flame should always be medium. 
• Start adding ghee slowly and add continuously like 2-3 tblsp at a time. Keep stirring until the ghee mixes and then add the next batch of ghee and repeat until you finish the ghee. If u wish , u can also mix the flour in 1/2 cup ghee-oil mixture and whisk without lumps and then add this to the sugar syrup.
  
• At one stage, the the colour changes to pale and frothy here and there, so be alert at this time and lastly the whole mixture starts frothy as shown in the picture. Also there will be a pleasant cooked besan smell along with ghee smell. Add 2 tsp of sugar granules and mix quickly (optional).You can get the right time to switch of the flame, when u see white bubbles appearing at the place where u stir the laddle.(Bottom surface of the mixture)
  
• Pour it to the greased tray and level it with a spatula. Sprinkle sugar if desired. Wait until warm and cut into desired shape. Let it cool down completely before transferring to the container. The sweet is ready to eat!!
  

Chicken Dry Roast

Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens. Chickens will naturally live for 6 or more years, but broiler chickens typically take less than 6 weeks to reach slaughter size. A free range or organic meat chicken will usually be slaughtered at about 14 weeks of age.

Chicken as a meat has been depicted in Babylonian carvings from around 600 BC. Chicken was one of the most common meats available in the Middle Ages. It was eaten over most of the Eastern hemisphere and a number of different kinds of chicken such as capons, pullets and hens were eaten. It was one of the basic ingredients in the so-called white dish, a stew usually consisting of chicken and fried onions cooked in milk and seasoned with spices and sugar.

The meat of the chicken, also called "chicken", is a type of poultry meat. Because of its relatively low cost, chicken is one of the most used meats in the world. Nearly all parts of the bird can be used for food, and the meat can be cooked in many different ways. Popular chicken dishes include roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, Buffalo wings, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and chicken rice. Chicken is also a staple of many fast food restaurants.

Main edible parts:

Breast, Giblets,Head,Kidneys,Neck,Oysters,

Leg: Comprises two segments:

The "drumstick"; this is dark meat and is the lower part of the leg,

the "thigh"; also dark meat, this is the upper part of the leg.

Wing: Often served as a light meal or bar food. 

Chicken feet:especially in the Caribbean and China.

Chicken meat contains about two to three times as much polyunsaturated fat than most types of red meat when measured as weight percentage.Chicken generally includes low fat in the meat itself (castrated roosters excluded). The fat is highly concentrated on the skin.

Now I am going to cook a very quick and easy receipe Chicken Dry Roast.It goes on well with curd rice, sambhar rice or even rasam.

                                              Chicken Dry Roast recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time:10 mins    |  Cook time: 20 mins     |  Serves:2

Ingredients

Onions - 1 big sized

Tomato -1 big size

Ginger Garlic (paste or grated) - 1 tbsp

Chicken - 1kg

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder(Dhaniya powder mixed )- 1/2 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Mint leaves - 1 handfull

Green chilly - 1 or 2

Salt - needed

Coriander leaves - few

Oil - 1 tbsp

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                                                To Temper:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Jeeragam - 1 tsp

Fennel - 1tsp

Curry leaves - 1 strand

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 Method:

• First clean and wash the chicken. Mix turmeric powder and give it one final wash and set aside.
  
• Now chop the onions and tomatoes, grate the ginger garlic or grind it into a paste. Take a pan add oil and when its hot add the temper table ingredients. Add the chopped green chilly, onions and mint leaves and saute well. 
  
• Add the ginger garlic paste and tomatoes chopped finely and saute well. When oil separates from the gravy add the chilly powder and garam masala and mix well. Also add salt and saute well.
  
  
  
•  Add  the chicken pieces to it.Allow it boil with 1/2 cup water.The chicken will also leave water which is enough to get it cooked.Saute it untill all water steams out and its becomes totally dry.
  
  
  
• Garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
• Serve hot with Rice.!!